LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1, 2012 – HBO has confirmed the second-season debuts of the acclaimed series ENLIGHTENED and GIRLS, with both shows scheduled to kick off ten-episode second seasons in Jan. 2013.

ENLIGHTENED tells the story of an ambitious executive at a global conglomerate, who returns to her fractured life after a humiliating public breakdown, determined to lead a more enlightened existence. But her newfound noble intentions only ratchet up the drama, wreaking unexpected havoc on those around her. Laura Dern stars in the series, which she executive produces along with Mike White, who also co-stars, writes and directs. The show concluded its first season in Dec. 2011, with Dern receiving a 2012 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical.

The Los Angeles Times called ENLIGHTENED “the most interesting and ambitious series of the fall season,” while the Hollywood Reporter hailed it as “very funny” and “emotionally resonant.” The New York Times described the show as “funny, sardonic,” and the Washington Post termed it “wonderfully realized” and “unique.”

Created by and starring Lena Dunham, GIRLS takes a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s. Dunham, Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner executive produce the show, which concluded its first season in June. Bruce Eric Kaplan and Ilene S. Landress co-executive produce. The cast also includes Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver and Alex Karpovsky.

The series recently received five Emmy® nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham) and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham).

GIRLS was called “smart, funny” and “groundbreaking” by the San Francisco Chronicle, while New York Magazine hailed it as “the ballsiest show on TV.” People described the show as “brilliant,” and TV Guide said it was “brilliantly raw” and a “true breakthrough.”

Looking forward to Enlightened, not sure I’m still going to watch Girls.

Keri

Lena Dunham is a hideous ghoul.

chrisss

It’ll be interesting to see what they do with Veep.

peter

Expect a big drop in ratings for Girls without the GoT/Veep lead-in.

Red Jane

I think Girls will do just fine – it has now a relatively solid following (as much as a quirky comedy can have). Love Enlightened but it may struggle on the second season again…

FowlScat

Dont think for one second Girls is dependent on Veep. Veep is garbage in my book and hardly the same audience.

Take the gratuitous b00b flashes away from GoT and its ratings would more than halve losing the virgins and teens.

chrisss

@ FowlScat

Of course, with how readily available porn is on the internet, people will buy HBO just so they can see naked women on Game Of Thrones.

Brandon

I feel like I already knew this was when Girls was coming back somehow? Anyway Girls is great, I didn’t watch Enlightened but if they put it on HBO On Demand I’ll give it a shot.

Christian

Damn that girl on the right is hideous. Yuck!

Hattie C

Disagree that Girls needs the Veep lead-in. I feel like both shows draw completely different audiences. I suspect both Girls & Enlightened will do well in second seasons. Girls has a solid audience (as is expected for the kind of quirky niche show it is) and even though I’ve never seen Enlightened, I’ve heard good things about it and I imagine it’ll stay strong.

Dave

Enlightened, yay!

SJ

Veep will probably be paired with Curb, if/when that comes back.

FowlScat

@chriss yeah but the acting is slightly better in GoT than (free) internet porn. I didnt realize there was anyone that both watched GoT and paid the cable bill in their household.

Sofaslug

Good pairing I think. What Drama will be put in front of it?

tv#1

Both of these shows are good. Content wise they pair well together, but viewer wise they don’t pair well together. Girls was barely able to average 1 million viewers per episode with GoT/Veep lead ins. I can only imagine how it will do with Enlightened which rated terribly. I guess only time will tell.